Life As A Family
by ivemademychoice
Summary: Set a few years after The Family Life. Jenny's now eight, and Jack and Isabel are five. The Doctor and Rose are juggling work and family lives. Things are tough after everything they've overcome, are they stronger then ever? Or are they crumbling?
1. Chapter 1

**Here you go! A sequel for 'The Family Life.' It was going to start off as a one-shot, but I might do a couple more chapters or a full story. Let me know your ideas and thoughts!**

Rose collapsed on to the bed next to The Doctor. It had been a long long day; she had been catching up on her paperwork at Torchwood after a week off with the family, to come to a messy house and three children running around, four if you counted The Doctor. Now the kids were in bed, Jenny the eldest who was now eight and the twins, Jack and Isabel were five. And they were a handful, of course The Doctor insisted of having more, but after what happened last time, and they lost their baby, Rose had been terrified to having another one.

"Tiring day?" The Doctor asked as he placed his book down, and kissed Rose's shoulder.

Rose nodded, her eyes closed, "Yeah, long and tiring," She smiled, "Sorted all the paperwork though, thank God!" Rose grinned and kissed him lightly, "Busy day?"

"Not really," The Doctor shook his head slightly, "A few lectures and catching up with some marking." He smiled, he loved how things were between him and Rose, there was no tension in the air after the whole Ben incident, and he'd gotten over it, though it did help when Ben left to open his own bar in Greece. He loved their relationship now, things had calmed down a lot and they were settling in and being a proper family with their three chaotic children. They'd fixed their problems and the troubles they'd faced and were happy, he knew deep down it still affected both of them, especially Rose when they lost their baby son, he could see that every time he mentioned the word 'baby', her heart and eyes sunk slightly, but being Rose she quickly put on an act and smiled.

"Wow that sounds fun," Rose giggled and kissed him on the cheek, getting up to get changed, in to her pyjamas, The Doctor finding it difficult not to stare. He couldn't help it, as he always said now, he was only human. Once Rose had changed in to her pyjamas, she crawled underneath the covers and snuggled closely to The Doctor and rested her head against his chest, laying in silence for a moment or two, savouring the quiet household and the sleeping children. _Pure bliss._ "Remember," Rose mumbled as she felt her whole body relax after a stressful day, "We're going to Mum's for dinner tomorrow."

"I know," The Doctor nodded, though he had to admit, he would have forgotten if Jackie hadn't rang earlier to remind him, "Your Mum called earlier, and I don't want you do get angry but-"

"Why would I be angry?" Rose questioned as she sat up, staring at him awaiting an answer. Rose scared him when she was like this; she had the look about her.

"Well she was ringing me to tell us there's going to be a...third party," The Doctor put it lightly.

"Excuse me?" Rose asked, "A _third _party? What do you mean a third party? What kind of third party?"

"Your Mum invited her new boyfriend along." The Doctor stuttered, trying to spit it out quickly, but stumbled on his words as he watched Rose's reaction and bit his lipped, nervous as she didnt say anything for a moment, it was the first time Jackie had a boyfriend, well the first time she had admitted to it and told them about, but of course they knew there were others, but they never lasted so they were never 'officially' told.

"Her...Her boyfriend?" Rose whispered, she had to admit she hated the idea of Jackie having a boyfriend, she knew her Mum would move on, but she hated the idea, she always did, despite how old she was. The Doctor simply nodded at her, frightened of saying the wrong thing. "Did she say anything about him?"

"His name is Tom?" The Doctor said to her, "That's about it to be honest."

"Tom? That it? Just Tom?" Rose questioned and muttered something about it being a stupid name, she could tell she was acting immature, but she couldn't help it when it came to her Mother, she was always left to pick up the pieces when they dumped her.

"Rose, I know it's difficult for you, but you don't need to play the protective daughter anymore..."

"I'm not..." Rose defended herself innocently, but The Doctor looked at her, frowning, "I'm not, if I was, which I'm not, I think it would be reasonable, I mean I've watched her fall for loads of men and they've just lowered her down even more, and I'm the one left to fix her, and it's too much, seeing her get hurt all the time and-" She rambled on until The Doctor finger was pressed against her lip, shushing her.

"You don't need to do that anymore, you're Mums grown up more since then, besides she's got Tony now, I don't think she'd just bring a random bloke in to his life unless it was serious-"

"You think it's serious between them?" Rose questioned, "Did it sound serious?"

"No, no," The Doctor shook his head trying to stop himself from saying all the wrong things, and just came out as a stutter, "I just mean, give him a chance?" He guessed and watched as Rose sighed and lay back down against him.

"Fine," She sighed as though had given up, "I'll give him a chance, but if he blows it, I'm not giving him another chance." She said and nuzzled against his chest and The Doctor simply smiled down at her, trying not to giggle. He always knew she was protective over her Mother, he could see why, growing up with just her and her Mum, she bound to feel protective of her. They were close, granted they grown apart over the years they'd been here, but they were still close.

"Sounds reasonable," The Doctor smiled and he held her next to him.

"Night Doctor." A quiet mumble from Rose as she dozed to sleep in his arms.

"Night Rose." The Doctor smiled and kissed her forehead, falling asleep soon after.

**What did you think?**

**Click the review button and let me know, good or bad! They make me very happy and I'll write more tomorrow if you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Jenny!" Rose yelled the next morning as she got the twins ready for school, "We're going to be late...again." She murmured, it was like this every morning, last minute and rushed. She sighed as The Doctor finally approached down the stairs, Jenny in tow.

"We're ready!" The Doctor rushed as he rushed to his shoes and grabbed Jenny's, "Well, almost ready."

Rose smiled as she watched The Doctor and Jenny together, they were so much alike, especially the way they behaved and appearances, Jenny had the same messy brown hair as The Doctor, no matter how many times Rose plaited Jenny's hair in to a neat plait, it seemed moments later it'd be half out. They always seemed so in sync with one another, like they were connected, Rose had always wondered, with The Doctor still being part Time-Lord; he could still be linked to his family, maybe even without realising. Connection or not, it always gave Rose a reason to smile watching them together. Finally everyone seemed to ready to go to school and work.

"Right, come on!" Rose yelled, grabbing some toast and quickly giving it to the kids. "Eat up." She smiled and couldn't help but giggle, she always saw rushed families on TV shows, she never thought it was actually like that.

XX

"Right! Jenny is at her friend Lucy's house and the twins are happily playing," Rose sighed happily as she lay next to The Doctor on the sofa, taking a five minute breather from the kids and chaos.

"Good," The Doctor smiled as Rose leant against him, the radio was playing in the background, despite none of them ever sat down and listened to it, Rose had to admit, whenever she was alone she'd turn it up to full volume and have a little dance to herself, though once The Doctor walked in and joined her.

"I could just sit here all night," She smiled to herself and relaxed.

"Me too," The Doctor whispered in to her hair and planted a kiss on her, smiling, "But we've got to go to your Mother's tonight." He reminded her, hearing her mumbled groan next to him, "Babysitters coming at eight."

"Do we have to go?" Rose whined, sitting up and staring at him, her pleading to him, "We can say I'm sick, I mean I am feeling pretty sick as it happens."

"Oh really?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her, smirking, "Good job you've got a Doctor then isn't it?"

"That's a nickname; it isn't your _real _name."

"That's because I prefer my nickname, besides it sounds weird you calling me 'John Smith'."

"I know, now...I'm feeling _really _ill," Rose emphasised, she knew The Doctor wouldn't buy it for one second, she could see it in his eyes, she still thought it was worth a shot, "We should just call tonight off, we can always go another time? Like next week? Or maybe next month...or next year?"

"Rose," The Doctor looked down at her gently, he could see she didn't want to accept the fact her Mother had tried to move on from Pete and found a new man, he could tell it hurt her, and he could understand, but he knew one day she would have to face it, "I know you don't want to meet this bloke of your Mum's," He whispered, "But you've got to, you know you do, but I'll be there, I'll crack some of my hilarious jokes if things get weird, and creep him out with all my excellent knowledge."

Rose giggled slightly. "Was that a smile?" The Doctor grinned down at he and she decided to go along with it for once and nodded.

"Yes it was, and I know you're right," Rose sighed, "As much as it pains me to say, I don't want your ego getting any bigger, but you are right, I guess I'd just rather face it later rather than sooner."

"I know," The Doctor, "But it does get us out of the house for the night? Away from the kids?"

"Yeah only to go and listen to my Mother natter on for three hours about things that no-one in the real world even cares about but for some unknown reason she finds very important for everyone to know about."

"Ok, it's not the ideal night out," The Doctor agreed, "But next week we'll have a date night? A full night away from the kids, and just use all alone. I'll take you to a romantic meal, then we can go see a show? Or just take a walk down the river and talk?" He smiled.

"Then we can come back home and go to bed?"Rose raised her eyebrows and bit her lip at him and he nodded.

"Yes, then bed, love that part," He grinned like a child and paused for a moment, "Rose?" He whispered, his voice gentle, yet sounding more serious.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering...we've always wanted more kids, and a large family, do you think we could maybe...try for another one?"He asked gently, and felt Rose tense slightly as she paused. He knew it was difficult for her, they had always wanted a larger family, but after losing the baby, it had knocked Rose back, she'd been scared of getting pregnant again in case anything happened, she couldn't face the pain of having to lose another baby. Finally Rose spoke up and said something.

"Maybe," She whispered and gave The Doctor a gentle smile and nodded, "Maybe."

**Another chapter done! What did you think?**

**Hope you liked it, click the review button and tell me, good or bad, or what you want to see! The more reviews the quicker the update!**

**Amy.**


	3. Chapter 3

"It's freezing!" Rose exclaimed as her and The Doctor exited their taxi.

"Better get inside then hadn't we!" The Doctor grinned at her, grabbing her hand, having to practically drag her to Jackie's front door. The Doctor rang the doorbell for them, awaiting a response, after a few moments of waiting outside in the cool air, Rose turned back.

"Oh well, looks like she's out."

"Rose!" The Doctor hissed quietly and grabbed her hand, just as Jackie opened to the door to them.

"There you two are!" Jackie grinned, allowing them in, "You could have just come in, thought you'd have both of learnt that by now!" rose sighed as they walked in, feeling The Doctor squeeze her hand reassuringly and whispered in her ear softly, reassuring her to just smile along, he'd be standing with her. Rose was beginning to wish she hadn't lied about being ill earlier, now she really did feel ill, she ached everywhere, all she wanted to do was to go home and go to bed.

Rose and the doctor were introduced to Tom, Jackie's boyfriend, Rose tried her hardest to smile and make conversation, Tom looked a bit younger than Jackie, late 30s maybe, dark hair, thin but well shaped body. She could see why her Mother would pick him, Rose had to admit, Tom seemed nice enough, and Jackie did seem happy with him.

After dinner, the four of them sat on the sofas, talking about The Doctor and Rose's children.

"Oh they've got three," Jackie beamed, the proud Grandmother, as much as she hated the word and idea of being a Grandmother at her age, she loved her Grandchildren, and always tried to be there for them, despite things that had happened, and Rose and her weren't as close as they used to be, she was still close to the children, and saw them at least once or twice a week to either pick them up from school when she went to get Tony, or just to take them out for an ice cream. "Gorgeous little things they are!" Jackie continued.

"How old are they?" Tom asked, looking at The Doctor and Rose.

"The twins are five, and Jenny's eight." The Doctor beamed, "A handful though!"

"I bet," Tom smiled, "Three's a lot, I came from a large family though, too much chaos and noise, couldn't wait to get out of the place. It's great to have a large family."

"Yeah it is," Rose smiled, she thought their family was large enough, they always agreed to have a big family, and The Doctor still wanted more kids soon.

XX

Rose stood in the kitchen to make them all some more drinks, this time some lighter beverages, tea. She was glad to get away from the talking and chitter chat, her head was banging. Jackie walked in to join and leave the men to chat, and noticed Rose sighing.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Jackie asked, and Rose smiled softly at her.

"Yeah Mum, I'm okay, just knackered as always."

"You'll work yourself down the ground soon," Jackie looked at her daughter with concern, "Are you sure you're okay Rose? You look a bit.."

"A bit what?"

"Nothing," Jackie shook her head and smiled at Rose, "You're an amazing mother Rose."

"Mum..."

"No, you are, you look after three littluns, and on top of that you've got big goofy kid in there to look after too."

"Mum, that's not fair, he's an amazing Dad, and you know he is." Rose smiled.

"I know darling, he's the world's best Dad, I've seen the way he plays with them and acts with 'em, he loves them more than anything."

"I know he does, couldn't ask for a greater man really."

"Well you could, you could ask for George Clooney or Brad Pitt-"

"Mum."

"I'm joking! I couldn't imagine seeing you with any other man, you and 'im, you fit together, I don't know, you're just right for one another...soul mates, and I don't believe in that stuff, but seeing you both together, even after all these years, you're still in love, it's as though your newlyweds still!" Jackie smiled at Rose, and all Rose could do was smile back and hug her Mum, it felt as though it had been so long since they'd hugged and had a proper Mother to daughter chat. Rose missed it all. "Go on, get that Husband of yours, you look like you could do with a good sleep!"

"Don't really see that happening with three children who run in to your bedroom and jump on the bed to wake you up."

XX

"Was it as bad as you thought?" The Doctor questioned as they entered the house, thanking their babysitter as they left, but Rose stayed quiet in response to his question, "Just admit it wasn't as bad you expected?"

"It was okay," Rose shrugged and collapsed on to the sofa, she could happily just fall asleep on the sofa, and she couldn't even be bothered to move. The Doctor sat next to her, raising his eyebrows. "Shut up," She smirked, "It was good. He was alright..."

"alright?"

"He was...decent. She seemed happy enough, that's what matters." She sighed and leant herself against The Doctor.

"Are you okay?" he asked, only causing Rose to sigh again, "What did I do?"

"Nothing, I just wish everyone would stop asking me if im okay, honestly, I am fine."

"Okay..." The Doctor nodded and left the subject for a moment or two, just savouring the peace and tranquillity for a while, "Are you sure though? Nothing's wrong? You're not upset are you?"

"Doctor, no, I'm not upset."

"Ill? You were being serious about being ill weren't you? Im sorry, I should have took you seriously-"

"Shut up," Rose smiled as she pressed her finger against his lips, causing him to stop, "Im not ill, Im just tired that's all."

"We'd better go to bed then." The Doctor smirked.

"Yes, to sleep! We have to be up in a few hours!" Rose pointed out, causing The Doctor to groan and grab her hand, dragging to bed to try and catch as much sleep as they could. Despite being tired and wanting to sleep, Rose couldn't, there was something on her mind all through the night, she'd been feeling ill for a while and tired all the time, she knew she was over-reacting, for the entire the night things were spinning through her mind as she just stared blankly at the wall for the whole night, awaiting for sleep to overtake her.

**Thoughts? Good or bad? Let me know! What do you think is wrong with Rose? (Not baby!)**

**Press the little button below and tell me what you thought! Amy.**


	4. Chapter 4

Rose arrived late from work one afternoon, she was absolutely exhausted after an incident at work, which she daren't tell the Doctor about, she knew he would over-react, shout, and over-react once more. He wasn't exactly known for being calm in situations like these, especially when it was something happening to Rose, so she thought it best to just stay quiet for now, just for now. She took a deep breath, taking off her shoes and coat, walking in the front room to find the fire on, and the Doctor sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

_Great, _she thought.

"Jake phoned." He said, plain and simply. "He didn't think you'd tell me, and judging by the expression on your face, I'd say he was right."

"It's not a bi-"

"No!" The Doctor stopped her, standing up, "No, don't you dare say it's not a big deal Rose. You collapsed, at work, _twice. _And you don't think that's a big deal? People don't just collapse for no reason, there's something you're not telling me."

"Doctor-"

"Don't give me some excuse Rose, I'm your Husband," He said, "Yeah? Your Husband, we're a team me and you, we're partners, we can't lie to one another. Now what happened?" He asked softly, taking Rose's hand in his.

"We should sit down," Rose suggested, pulling him over to the sofa, sitting next to him, taking another deep breath, what had happened throughout the day had all seemed like a big blur. "I haven't been feeling right for a while, I didn't say anything because I honestly thought it was nothing, a few migraines here and there, it's bound to happen when you have three kids running around day after day, I thought it was stress."

"Thought?" The Doctor questioned, stroking her hand softly, "Rose, how long has been going on? The migraines?"

"About a month?" Rose winced slightly, she knew she shouldn't have left it so long, "Like I said, I thought it was stress."

"did you found out why you're feeling like this?" The Doctor asked softly, he had to admit, he was too scared to hear the answer, the last thing he wanted to hear was that Rose was seriously ill, or just any bad news.

"Well..." Rose began and looked down at the ground as she built up the courage to speak, "I was talking to Jake about it once the medics had checked me out, made sure I was okay, and he thinks it might be an effect...She started to explain, and sighed.

"Of..." The Doctor trailed.

"Of the dimension jump," Rose whispered, and she watched as the Doctor froze for a moment, "I never thought of it before, travelling from universe to universe, through the void so many times, it's...I don't know, done something."

"Y-you sure that's what it is?" He whispered, his voice shaking, the thought made him sick, all Rose wanted was to get back to him, well, the real him, and for it to do this to her, make her ill, maybe dying.

"No," Rose shook her head gently, "Talking to the medics and Jake, it's what we had come up with, we're not sure yet though." She explained, Rose could see the pain in the Doctor's eyes, he was blaming himself, this was exactly what Rose had predicted, he was blaming himself as always.

"Right." The Doctor nodded gently and sighed.

"They're gonna do some tests tomorrow, make sure that's what's caused me to feel like this, see what damage may or may not have been done but you have got to promise me something! stop blaming yourself, this isn't and never will be your fault, its mine, I didn't think about the consequences of hopping from universe to universe, never thought of the damage it could do to me."

"Yeah, I know, because you were too busy trying to make your way back to me, and look, you didn't even get what you wanted did you?"

"Don't." Rose quickly shushed him, placing her finger on his lips to stop him from talking, "Don't say it as though I didn't want you, I did, and I do. You're not second best, never ever will be."

"Don't say 'never ever'." The Doctor whispered beneath her finger, "Bad luck."

"I think we've beaten all the bad luck that's been thrown at us, don't you?" Rose asked gently, but the Doctor didn't reply, he simply sat there, taking in the information, "I'll be fine, once we've figured out what exactly is going on, we'll fix it, we'll deal with it."

"what if its not that simple-" The Doctor began, only to be broken off by Rose again.

"we can list all the 'what if's' until the sun explodes, whatever happens we deal with it, together, like you said, we're partners, forever. And we'll overcome whatever happens _together_. Okay?" She asked and The Doctor nodded.

"Okay," He replied, taking a deep breath, "Together. I'll stand by you no matter what."

"Good," Rose nodded, "Now, can we go to bed? I'm exhausted? Long day tomorrow.."

"Of course." The Doctor nodded, pulling up from the sofa, he knew this was going to be tougher than either of them thought, Rose was sick, he mentally kicked himself, why hadn't he thought the void could affect her? Of course it would, but they'd overcome this, together.

They always did.

**Thoughts? What do you think the void and universe hopping has done to Rose?**

**Send in your thoughts. Please review! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

Rose took a deep breath as she sat in the waiting room as nerves began to fill her, now she was actually sat there waiting, she wished The Doctor was sitting there with her to hold her hand for support. As much as he insisted to be there, Rose insisted back that someone had to look after the children, Rose didn't want them to go to Jackie's, she didn't want to tell her anything before Rose and The Doctor knew for definite.

"Miss Tyler?" Rose faintly heard a voice ask for her. She looked up and slowly started to walk towards the office, her legs shaking with every step as she walked in to the office waiting to hear the news. Her life was about to change.

XX

The Doctor leg was twitching for hours as he paced up and down the living room waiting for Rose to come home, all day his head hadn't been on his work, he'd been thinking about Rose's test results. The idea that this could change their lives scared him, of course this past week whilst they'd been waiting for the results the two of them had been trying to be positive, for all they knew it might not be anything, the two of them could just be over-reacting over nothing. The Doctor couldn't help but have a gut feeling something was wrong, his part time-lord senses were taking over this week; his gut was telling him something was wrong.

As more time passed, The Doctor found himself looking at the clock every five minutes, every minute Rose wasn't home, to him it was a bigger sign it was bad news.

"Come on Rose." He whispered to himself, trying to concentrate on something, he wished the kids weren't in bed right now, they were always the perfect distraction for him, they were blind to bad things around them, and they were always so happy and cheery, they could make anyone forget about their problems. He started to tap his foot again as the clock continued to tick behind him. Another few minutes later, the silence was broken by the sound of the door unlocking. The Doctor jumped out of his seat, bouncing up and down on his feet, taking deep breaths as Rose walked in, his heart sunk slightly as he saw the expression on her face.

Rose had been crying, judging by the amount of mascara there was running down her face, he guessed she'd been crying quite a lot. Quickly she sniffed, wiping away the smudged mascara.

"Hey." She whispered, her breath was heavy and she looked down at the ground, not wanting to look at The Doctor's broken expression. "You should sit down." Rose took The Doctor's hand in hers gently, sitting him down on the sofa. The Doctor shook his head slightly, his mouth open like a fish, not knowing what to say to her.

"Wh..." The Doctor could only manage half a word; his heart was beating faster than he thought was possible, his foot tapping against the floor at what seemed to be 100 miles per hour.

"Just...calm down," Rose looked down at his foot, which calmed down for a moment, "this is the hardest thing I have to tell you," She whispered, the tears started to brim in her eyes once again, and a tear fell down her cheek.

"It's alright, whatever it is, whatever is wrong, we'll work through it, we always do...right?" He whispered, wiping away Rose's tears.

"Yeah," Rose tried to force a smile on to her face, "Doctor, they found something..." She hesitated for a moment, the words she wanted to say weren't coming to her, all the way back to the flat she had built the words up in her head, thinking about every little word she was going to say, Rose knew it was going to be tough, she didn't think it would be this tough.

"Take your time." The Doctor whispered, squeezing her hand gently.

"They found cancerous cells," Rose whispered, she daren't look at The Doctor's reaction until she was finished, "cancer, travelling through the void affected the cells and meant that the cells began to expand and grow, DNA mutation, impacting the cell growth and..." Rose paused for a moment, everything she was saying just seemed blurry and nonsense, "I'm not saying this right am I?"

"No, you are," The Doctor, tears were starting to fall down his own face, this wasn't something he had ever imagined, he never even considered cancer. "Just take your time, what...what kind?" He stuttered as he began to speak.

"Thyroid," Rose began, "They found it in the thyroid gland, the doctor explained that its Medullary carcinoma," She didn't know whether to give him all the details her doctor had, she believed it was best to be prepared, "My doctor told me it could spread even more, at the moment they've detected it in the glands, but it can move down to the chest, or liver or..." She stopped as she thought of it happening.

"But..." The Doctor had never cried like this, emotions just took over him, and he gently stroked Rose's cheek. "It won't. It won't. What do we do now?"

"First they have to do surgery, it's the first step...we'll take it one step at a time. Take it as it happens."

"Okay." The Doctor nodded, he hated the idea of Rose having to have surgery, he wanted her to be fixed, this was all just a horrible dream, they'd fight through this, he shook away the faint thought that this could mean death, it wouldn't, that wasn't what it meant at all. All Rose and he could do was fight, and they would, together they'd fight this, the things they'd faced together, this was just another journey, something trying to hurt them, but they'd fight it.

And they wouldn't give up.

After Rose had explained everything she could to The Doctor she collapsed in to his arms and cried gently, wiping the tears away as they fell down her face. This was going to tough.

**A/N: You have no idea how difficult that was for me to write. My best friend had thyroid cancer, so hopefully the storyline will seem true/real.**

**Let me know what you think! Hope the storylines good and believable.**

**Please review! ^_^**

**Feedback makes me happy, the more feedback the more I'll write!**


	6. Chapter 6

"How am I supposed to do this?" Rose questioned as she and The Doctor approached Jackie Tyler's house, "How do you tell your Mother that her daughter is dying?"

"Shhh," The Doctor stopped her, he hated it when she said that, in his eyes she wasn't dying, that was not what this situation was, "Don't, you're not. You're...you're ill. Not dying, there's a difference Rose." Rose couldn't help but sigh, she knew this was tough for both of them, tougher than either of them had imagined.

"Right, sorry," Rose whispered quietly and shivered, "What am I supposed to tell her?"

"Just, tell her what you told me." The Doctor squeezed her hand gently; Rose has agreed she wanted to do this alone, and as though right on cue, out Jackie came, shouting at them as always.

"You two! What you standing out here for? Come in, out of the cold!"

"You'll be alright," The Doctor whispered in Rose's ear, she wasn't sure if she meant today or the next few months and years. Before Rose walked over to her mother, The Doctor gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. He started to walk away before Jackie started shouting at him once again, insisting to know where he was going. "I've got a lecture!" He yelled, leaving Jackie and Rose to talk for a while.

Rose took a deep breath and walked in to the mansion, trying to calm herself down as she sat on the sofa. Jackie noticed there was something up straight away.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" She asked, "I'll make us a cuppa and we can talk."

"No," Rose whispered, she didn't want this to stretch out even longer then it had to; she just wanted to get it off her chest, "I need to tell you something Mum. It's important." Rose barely whispered the last part, she didn't want to worry her Mum, but there was no way to avoid it this time, Rose herself knew what it was like to be a Mother now, there was constant worrying. Jackie sat down net to Rose, her face was troubled already.

"What is it? Is it The Doctor-"

"No," Rose cut her off quickly, "Just, let me explain Mum. The other week, I had to go for some tests, and..." Rose stopped as she started to build up the courage.

"What?"

"They found...cancerous cells," Rose began to explain, she could see Jackie's heart sinking right in front of her, the same way The Doctor's did, it broke her heart watching two of the people she loved the most, fall apart in front of her. "But, I'll be fine; they're taking me in to surgery soon."

Although no-one had told Rose she had a good chance of surviving this, she had to tell herself everything would be okay, someone had to start being optimistic, no matter how many times she'd said it to The Doctor, she could still see he didn't truly believe it.

"How soon?" Jackie whispered as she started to cry.

"Next week," Rose whispered, she was glad it was happening quickly instead of having to wait months for surgery, dwelling about it. She couldn't decide whether it was a good or bad thing, her mind continuously went to the thought that she _needed _to be put under surgery because of complications or if they didn't do it now it'd be too late. These thoughts were always running through her mind.

"Oh sweetheart!" Jackie cried, hugging her daughter close to her as the two of them cried next to one another, over the past few years and months they'd grown apart, maybe all the sayings were true, it takes a tragedy in a family to bring them back together. In this case it was definitely true.

XX

"I'm going to be here when you wake up, I promise." The Doctor kissed Rose's cheek gently. It was finally the day of Rose's surgery, and it was just minutes before she was going to be put under.

"You can't stay the whole time," Rose sighed, "Its five hours, you've got to go home."

"And I will, but I'll be back an hour before you wake up, your Mum's going to look after the kids at hers whilst I stay here with you, I don't want you waking up alone." The Doctor explained to her, holding her hand tightly.

"I'm a big girl." Rose whispered, "I don't mind."

"You do, I know you do," The Doctor replied, he wanted to stay in the hospital every minute Rose was there, "Together. That's what we promised; I'm not going to leave you unless I have to." He gave her a quick smile and a kiss before the nurses put her under the anaesthetic, and he watched as Rose slowly began to close her eyes, losing consciousness, he hated seeing her eyes close, though he told himself it was just like her falling asleep...not dying.

The Doctor left half an hour after Rose went in to surgery, praying everything would smoothly, and walked out of the hospital, going to spend to time with his kids.

XX

Three hours later, The Doctor drove himself to the oh so similar hospital, Rose would be coming round in just over an hour's time, he knew he was early, but he wanted to be there for Rose, not letting her be alone unless she had to.

He took a seat in the familiar corridor, waiting outside the surgery Rose was in,it made him feel slightly better knowing Rose was just through those doors. It did until he noticed five nurses rushing over to the surgery room.

The Doctor's hand began to speed up as he heard monitors bleeping away uncontrollably in surgery.

"Rose." He whispered and ran over to where she was, trying to look in to see what was going on, screaming out her name, even as a male nurse came outside to calm him down. "Rose! Someone tell me! What is going on?" He begged and he continued to hear the beeping inside, he could see inside, he could see what was beeping.

Rose's heart monitor. Her heart was giving out.

"Rose!"

**A/N: Is Rose okay? What's going on?**

**Please review! ^_^**

**Let me know your thoughts, good/bad?**


	7. Chapter 7

"Rose!" The Doctor continued to yell as the beeping continued, her heart was failing, and it was just one long beep. His heart had never beaten this fast he felt like his heart was in his throat, all The Doctor could do was yell, yell for Rose, demanding to know what was going on. Why was no-one telling him anything? This was his wife; his wife was dying right in front of him. Her heart wasn't beating.

The Doctor began to find it difficult to breath as nurses and doctors rushed around Rose, trying to resuscitate her. Nothing was working, the voltage was increasing, but nothing seemed to be happening.

"Come on Rose!" The Doctor muttered to himself, he didn't think it were possible for his heartbeat to accelerate any more than it already had, "Don't do this, please don't this, don't leave me, or Jenny, or Jack or Isabel. They need you, I need you baby!" His heart started to slow down as he started to hear beeping again, Rose's heartbeat was increasing. He let out a sigh of relief, she was alive.

For now.

XX

The Doctor sat by Rose's bed side for hours and hours, her heartbeat was still weak but stable for the moment. Her surgeon has informed him that she should be awakening soon. He knew the next couple of weeks were going be tough on the two of them, and their family as a whole. Due to the surgery there were certain things Rose couldn't do, normal every day things.

She couldn't stay out in the direct sun for too long, or lift heavy objects due to strain on her neck and back, little things such as picking up their small children she could no longer do until there was no pain and stitching in her neck. Cooking was going to be difficult as well, pain from her surgery was going to mean it's difficult for her to swallow, soup it was for a while.

The Doctor came out of his trance of all the difficulties over the next few weeks as Rose's eyes began to slowly flicker open. He smiled gently, holding her hand in his as Rose's eyes adjusted to her surroundings, and handed her a drink.

"Your throat's going to be a bit sore and dry." The Doctor explained as Rose took gentle sips on the water.

"Thank you." Rose whispered gently, she was unable to feel the full pain of the surgery yet, due to the medication they had her on, she knew the pain would hit her over the next few days as the medication dose would become smaller. "How'd it go?" She asked and took note as The Doctor swallowed; taking a deep breath, panic and anxiety began to fill her.

"They had to cut down the procedure," He began to explain, squeezing Rose's hand to comfort himself more than Rose, "Your heart went in to shock towards the end and...and stopped for a minute or two." The Doctor swallowed, taking his face in to his free hand, "I thought you were gone."

"I'm not going anywhere." Rose whispered, the pain in The Doctor's eyes was clearly visible, this was hurting him a lot more then he would ever let on and admit to anyone. He was hurting, more than anyone, he watching his wife undergo medical procedures and there was a lot more to come over the next few months, and they both knew it could be a possibility of years that they struggled this illness. "Come here."

Rose opened her arms for him, offering The Doctor a hug, she knew all he needed was some reassurance and some comfort, someone to just let him forget for a moment and see things were going to be alright after all.

"I don't want to hurt you." He admitted, but Rose simply shook her head at him, telling her Husband he could never hurt her. As soon as his wife pulled him in to a deep hug, he let out a gentle sigh of relief, she was alive, in his arms. Everything was going fine and everything was okay for now, when they first heard the news they had agreed they would take this one step at a time, not overwhelming themselves with possibilities and stacks of information over their heads trying to sink in to their brains.

Step one was complete, Rose's procedure was over, until the Doctors ensured she was fit enough to undergo more surgery to finish off what they had started, how long that was going to be, neither of them know, it could be weeks, but it could be months. But until then, The Doctor was going to do everything he could do to ensure Rose was well looked after, especially over the next few weeks, checking she wasn't in too much pain and not being stubborn as always, doing things she shouldn't be doing.

He was her Husband, and it was his duty to look after her. That's how he always saw it.

They look after one another when times get tough.

**A/N; The end of another chapter. Let me know your thoughts.**

**I'm trying to ensure this is as realistic as possible, I don't the details of surgery etc I haven't faces it first hand, I know a lot of information from my friends' experiences.**

**And for those sweet messages asking about her, she's fine, she actually got the all clear a couple of years ago, but there's always risks etc, and long term damage, which Im going to try and relate in to this story.**

**Please click the button below and review! The more reviews the faster I'll update! Promise! ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8

It had been three weeks since Rose's surgery; things were starting to look up within the Tyler-Smith household. Rose was recovering, slowly but surely, The Doctor had taken time off from the University to ensure Rose was well looked after, not doing anything she shouldn't be doing. Together they managed to pull through the difficulties they faced, tea time was always tough, Rose had to constantly live off soup for a week or so whilst her throat healed.

Even know their children were only young, they could all see something was wrong with their Mummy, especially Jenny, who was only eight years old, but like every child that age, she picked up on everything.

Rose often thought about telling Jenny what was wrong with her, but no matter how many times she argued with it in her head, she knew Jenny was too young to understand the full meaning and understanding of what was wrong with her Mummy. Rose often sat there and wondered, what would happen if she died? She'd learnt to come to terms that death could be a risk, it was a risk every day in her line of work, why was now any different? She was going to fight, fight until end with everything she had.

Rose was shook from her thoughts as she felt The Doctor slouch himself on to the couch, sitting next to her and relaxing.

"Out like a light, all three of them. That walk in the park tired them out thankfully." He let out a sigh of relief, resting his head against the back of the sofa and watched Rose sigh slightly. She wished she could say she knew they were worn out from all the running and playing, but due to the surgery on her neck, it meant she wasn't allowed out in the sun for long periods. "You okay?" He asked gently, it seemed to be the only thing he was asking Rose at the moment. Most of the time it was all he wanted to know, panicking slightly in case she wasn't.

"Yeah," Rose answered shortly, nodding gently.

"Sure...did you put that cream on your-"The Doctor had started to ask, before Rose cut him off.

"Yes, I put it on, fully moisturised." Rose sighed gently, "Just like every morning and every night, now will you please stop fussing?"

"Sorry, I'm just checking..." The Doctor whispered under his breath, he knew rose was capable of doing things, and maintaining guidelines instructed by her surgeon and doctor, he knew she could, but he felt like he needed to check wither, to just feel as though he was looking after her properly instead of watching her struggle on her own.

The Doctor pulled Rose into his arms, avoiding her operated side, kissing her forehead gently, even after all the years they'd been together, he still found the love he felt for Rose overwhelming, seeing her suffer like this made his hear t clench. Especially knowing how much it hurt her, not being able to carry one of twins when they're tired from walking, not being able to go for walks with them, he could see how much it pained her.

"I love you." He whispered gently in to her ear as he pulled Rose closer to him.

"Really?" Rose looked up at The Doctor, it always amazed her when he said it.

"Of course I do, Rose no matter what, I will always love you, I love you more every day, never ever doubt that."

"You just said never ever." Rose whispered, a grin beginning to form on her face as the warm memories of 2012 reformed in her mind.

"Indeed I did, but in this case, I think its okay, I love you, always and forever, that's our deal, right? Never doubt my love for you, not ever."

"It's just..." Rose paused for a moment, the feeling of doubt was all that filled her at the moment, "I just feel so useless though, being stuck inside most of the time, not being able to spend it with you or the kids...I wish I could...I just...I just feel useless, and helpless. I just worry you don't love me, or –" The doctor stopped her as he sensed where her mini speech was going and gently placed his finger on her lips.

"Shh. I don't want to hear that you think I could ever stop loving you, because i never could. You're my life Rose, you are everything."

"Don't say that," Rose whispered, shaking her head gently, but The Doctor just looked at her, confusion filling his face as he began to frown, "Don't say I'm everything, because when I'm gone-"

"You aren't going anywhere." The Doctor replied firmly, his body tensing at the thought of her dying, "You hear me? Nowhere. You are going to beat this, you're strong."

"One of us has to face up to reality, Doctor," Rose looked up to face him, his face was emotionless and empty, she could tell he was fighting with his emotions, and fighting against the different possibilities, "That is the reality, and you know it, it is a possibility, if it spreads then..." She trailed off track, he knew what she meant without her having to say it out loud.

"We've said this time and time again, it's a tiny possibility, one that we aren't going to even consider or face unless it happens, and it won't, it just won't."

"Okay," Rose nodded, she knew this was where the conversation was going to end, it always did end this way, "Okay, I'm sorry. Sorry." She apologised, resting her head against her Husband's chest.

"S'alright," he whispered into her hair, sitting it silence for a few minutes, before rose broke the silence.

"You'vebeen amazing y'know? Everything you've done."

"Rose..." he smiled at her, "How can you call me amazing, you're the one who's managed to stay calm, and...you're being amazing, just..." He stuttered as he struggled to find the words, everything Rose was going through The Doctor found amazing, it always amazed him how strong she was, how she could take on everything.

"You have!" Rose insisted, "You've been juggling an ill wife, three young children, and my mother! That's amazing; you are an amazing husband and a wonderful father. And don't you dare try and deny it!"

"I try my best rose," The Doctor smirked and grinned, "What else can I do? I love you all, more than I ever thought possible."

"I know," Rose nodded, "I love you, the children adore you...and I think even mums come round to you." She joked, they both knew Jackie loved The Doctor as a son-in-law, it was obvious, especially over the past few weeks and months, Jackie had been there for The Doctor whenever he needed a hand with the kids, or on the end of the phone if he ever needed to talk.

"No there's a scary thought," The Doctor joked and took her hand in his remember, "Just remember, we're in this together."

"Together."

**Apologies for the lack of updates! It's difficult to write with no spacebar.**

**Please review! I hope you're all still reading! The more reviews, the more ill update! Promise!**

**Let me know your thoughts, good or bad, and some ideas would be appreciated, what drama will be round the corner for the Tyler-Smith family?**

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	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Apologies for the lack of updates well ZERO updates. Things will be back soon! I promise! I hope people are still enjoying this story, and wanting more! Here's a small chapter, hopefully I'll get back in to it all soon!**

The Doctor held Rose in his arms as she slept. He looked down at her, her chest moving up and down slowly, she seemed so content and calm and he knew it was going to be different as soon as she woke up. Their life lately had been anything but calm, two days ago Rose was informed that the cancerous cells had continued to develop, and had spread further down her body. Their initial reaction was to break down and cry, lock the world out and drink and scream their troubles away, letting the anger and sadness they'd felt for such a long time out in to the open. That wasn't what they did, they sat and cried for the whole night, the small sign of hope they had was beginning to fade in to the distance, beginning to flicker away as their family crumbled.

Rose was the strongest person The Doctor knew; together they were always unbreakable, they had to stay that way for their children, their three perfect children. Every time The Doctor thought about what this might be doing to them he wanted to shout in anger, he never wanted his kids to be hurt, not whilst they're children. All he wanted to do as a parent was protect them from anything that could hurt them. Of course they knew their Mummy was sick, there was no denying it anymore, Rose had been in and out of hospital a few times over the past months.

The Doctor looked down at his wife as she began to wake, slowly adjusting her surroundings, looking up at her Husband as he held her in his arms. Rose knew they had a strong relationship; it had been proven to be unbreakable throughout the years of being together and married. Even now, they were still as strong as ever, after everything they'd been through, they'd supported one another, especially through the past months. Rose had needed the support, and he was there for her as always, being a doting father and Husband. Rose sighed contently as she looked up at The Doctor, a tiny smile growing across her face.

"Hey you," She smiled as The Doctor placed a gentle and tender kiss against her cheek. "M'not used to this peace in quiet in the morning..."

"Me neither, it feels weird to be awake once the sun's up...we're usually up at the crack of dawn." He smiled, Jenny was away on her first Brownie pack holiday, and the twins were staying with Jackie for the evening whilst Tony was away, she insisted she didn't like having the mansion all to herself, claiming it felt too empty.

"Well, _you_ are..." Rose smiled gently, since her surgery and treatment, and being ill, she hadn't been able to everything she could before, normal, everyday things like getting the kids up for school, she just felt weak a lot of the time. Since the two of them received the further devastating news, Rose hadn't bounced back to her usual happy self, she was sad, The Doctor could see there wasn't that spark in her eyes anymore. It had disappeared; it seemed all her hope that was once there had vanished along with it.

"You'll be back to normal soon," He whispered, cradling his wife in his arms, holding her.

"You know that's not true, we can't keep living on false hope all the time Doctor, we need to just face what could happen a-" Rose was forced to a halt as The Doctor sensed she was going to go on a rant and ramble...something she had picked up whilst being with him.

"Rose, please stop. We need hope; hope is all we've got! We're not having this argument. You are going to be fine, we are all going to be fine, and as a family we will be fine!" The Doctor muttered.

"And that's it, then? Discussion closed?" Rose asked as she watched The Doctor climb out of the bed, scurrying around the room for clothes. They'd been through the same argument time and time again, resulting in the same outcome each time. "We need to face the facts!"

"I am, Rose! One of us needs to stay positive though! For the kids at least, if not for us!" The Doctor threw his clothes on before storming to the kitchen. He didn't want this argument; they had a few days of peace and quiet, tranquillity. The last thing he wanted was for another fight. Maybe he was wrong, maybe they were falling apart, slowly and surely, day by day. He took a long, deep breath, sighing gently as he searched through the cupboards; he wasn't going to press the subject anymore. "You want pancakes?" He asked as Rose joined him, dressed in the only thing she could find, one of his t-shirts.

"Don't avoid the questions, Doctor! You can stay positive all you want, but if something happens it's just going to be harder to deal with!" Rose yelled.

"Rose, I'm going to say this _one _more time, nothing is going to happen to you, okay? The doctors told us what the plan is, so far we are following that plan, whatever it takes to make you better. Surgery, more surgery, therapy, whatever the plan is so we can beat this!" He yelled, the two of them simply stood there in silence, looking down at the floor, up at the ceiling, anywhere to avoid eye contact or looking at one another. The Doctor moved a step closer to Rose, taking her hand in his, looking down at her. "Listen to me. You want to know why Im staying positive?"

"I know why..."

"Then let me tell you anyway, I need to stay positive. It keeps me sane, it keeps me going. If I ever have to face the fact that I might have to live the rest of my life without you, I'd go insane. If I have to face the fact that I might have to tell our children their mother is never coming back, it kills me Rose. It breaks my heart! I can't do that! Call me a coward! Or call me selfish! We told each other we would fight this together, and we will! Okay?" He whispered, stroking Rose's cheek as he watched a few tears fall, all she could do was nod slightly.

"Okay..." Rose whispered her voice hoarse and dry as she tried to fight the tears as The Doctor wiped them away. "I understand, m'sorry..."

"It's okay, now! We are going to enjoy our couple of days without children, aren't we? So...what would you say to banana pancakes? With syrup? Then we go anywhere you want, within driving distance of course. Or we could go to Paris for the weekend?" He suggested, but Rose simply smiled, reaching up on to her toes to kiss him gently.

"I don't mind as long as I'm with you...banana pancakes do sound good though."

**Let me know what you think. I hope people are still reading this!**

**Let me know any ideas you have, or what you want to see! Write a small review below, and I'll update tomorrow!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi everyone. I'm so sorry for never updating this. I'll be trying my hardest to update, I think they deserve an ending. Whether it's a happy or a sad one, I don't know yet. It depends on what you all think so far! Please, keep with it! 3**

The months of recovery had been difficult on The Doctor and Rose, as well as the children. Rose had tried to be as strong as possible, but all of that just seemed impossible when they were faced with more outcomes. What if her surgery didn't work? The cancer was still there, and every day Rose truly believed that one day she would be told her time was up. That she only had a matter of time left with the family she loved.

The strain on The Doctor had been the hardest, seeing him have to cope with the life of young children as well as a sick wife. They sat together in the same old familiar doctor's office, waiting for the results of her latest biopsy to see whether the cancer had spread. They knew that it wasn't the end of the world if it had, but it just meant more pain and more therapy for Rose to suffer through, and harsher treatments. The Doctor squeezed Rose's hand as they waited for her physician, just wanting her to stay positive through all of this.

"It will be okay." He told her, just as he had done throughout the various months of therapy and surgeries, but each time she seemed to just shrug everyone he said away. It was almost as though she had already given up before the fight had even begun. "It won't have spread."

"Don't say that." Rose whispered under her breath. "Don't make promises you can't keep. It might have spread, it might have. Or don't you remember what they said last time? That the surgery hadn't been a full success?" She asked, staring down at their hands for the time being, not knowing what to say or do. The Doctor simply sat there in silence, feeling as though nothing he said could make his wife happy any more, he wanted to be positive. He was never one to accept the truth and the reality of a situation. And this was the perfect example of that. No husband wanted to be faced with the prospect that his wife was getting sicker and sicker with every passing day.

Her physician soon came in to the room with Rose's results in her hand. In that moment, Rose felt as though she was going to be sick, waiting impatiently as they informed her of the situation. She didn't even hear anything after the words 'I'm afraid…', that was all she needed to know. The cancer had spread; everything that they had been doing for the past six months had failed. Her body just wasn't accepting the therapies that were being used on her, and the countless surgeries that she'd had to endure.

Rose couldn't take listening to this anymore, standing up and leaving wihout a word being said to anyone. She couldn't do this, she couldn't go through more pain, and harsher treatments. Her mind couldn't focus and rationalise itself to stop being selfish, because right now she was scared. She was scared of dying, all the things she had seen around the Universe, different planets and species. And this was how it was going to end? She stared out at nothing, her eyes welling up as people passed her by. Normal people, people who may or may not have cancer. People that could live their lives normally. What is she couldn't do that any more? If the cancer didn't react to any of her previous treatments, what was to say it would now?

She heard her husband approaching her and calling out for her, but she walked away. She didn't want to see the pain and tortured look in his eyes, the look he had seen so many times during the past six months. "Go away." She sobbed, choking as she spoke. But he didn't stop, he just continued to chase after her until he caught up, stopping her.

"Rose, you need to look at me." He whispered, holding her tight so that she wouldn't simply run away again. "Sweetheart, please. I know this is difficult, I know it is. But we can do this, me and you. I can help you beat this, I promise I can, Rose." He said, his voice begging her not to run away again. She was his world and his rock. She was the only thing he had left other than their children.

Rose didn't respond, her heart breaking even more than she thought possible, simply resting against his without a world. Allowing herself to be enveloped in his arms, the tears beginning to stream down her face. "I don't think I can do this. Chemotherapy, radiation, what if my body can't take all that strain? This cancer's not like others, it's not natural. I just…I don't think it can be beaten." She admitted in a broken voice, wrapping her arms around her husband, needing his comfort right now.

"You're strong, Rose. I believe in you." He whispered, but deep down he knew that it might not be enough.

**A/N; Sorry this was so short, just needed to try and get back in to it. Enjoy, let me know what you all want to happen. 3**


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